Car-fender.



J. A. MAOMAHON & J. T. WARDEN.

OAR FENDER. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 13,1912.

1,068,682. Patented July 29, 1913.

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. N WITNESSES a %Q J. A. MAOMAHON & J. T. WARDEN.

OAR FENDER.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNB13, 1912.

1 ,068,682. Pa ented July 29, 1913.

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vemons.

J. A. MACMAHON & J. T. WARDEN.

GAR FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13,1912.

ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOYQIRAPH co was mNarnN. D4 64 onrrn srai nsra'rnnr canton JOHN A. MAGMAHON AND JOHN T. WARDEN, 0F PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA.

GAR-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Application filed June 13, 1912. Serial No. 703,578.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. MAoMAHoN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and JOHN T. WARDEN, a citizen of the United States, bothresiding in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Car-Fender, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to fenders adapted for use on power propelledvehicles, such as trolley cars and the like, and has for an obj ect toprovide a fender embodying a guard which is located beneath the body ofthe car, in front of the wheels and is normally maintained above theroad-bed in a safe or inoperative position, the said guard beingcontrolled through the medium of a collapsible trip which is positivelyconnected thereto and position-ed in the path of any object located onthe track or in such position adjacent thereto as to eliminate thepossibility of injury to such object.

It has for its further object to provide a trip which reduces to aminimum the impact of the trip with an object, and this is accomplishedby providing a contractile trip which gives or retracts under the weightof an object in a direction reverse to that of a moving car to which thetrip is attached. Further it will be noted that the object remains incontact with the trip until the latter has reached the endof itsmovement and the object is in safe position upon the guard which hasbeen lowered through the movement of the trip. Attention is furtherdirected to the fact that this trip, when retracted to its limit ofmovement, forms a barrier or rear wall for the guard, so that the objectcannot pass over the guard under the car.

It has for a still further object to provide a guard and trip which arepositively connected together in such a manner that the movement of oneis instantly and simultaneously transmitted to the other, and the partsare so accurately balanced that movement of the trip lowers the guard totripped and dropped position, and movement of the guard to normalposition moves the trip to extended position. This latter action insuresan automatic return of the trip to extended position and dispenses withany mechanism under the control of the operator of the car for effectingthe return of the parts to normal position.

It further consists of other novel features of construction, all as willbe hereafter fully set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating our invention, we have shown in theaccompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred byus, since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory andreliable results, although it is to be understood that the variousinstrumentalities of which our invention consists can be variouslyarranged and organized and that our invention is not limited to theprecise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities asherein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 represents a perspective of a fenderembodying our invention, the said perspective being taken from a pointabove t'he horizontal axis of the fender. Fig. 2 represents a detail,partly in section, of a portion of the trip. Fig. 3 represents a sideelevation of the fender in normal position. Fig. t represents a sideelevation showing the trip in collapsed position and the guard loweredto pick-up position. Fig. 5 represents a sec tion on line wm Fig. 3.Fig. 6 represents a plan of the fender in closed position of the tripand showing in dotted lines the normal position of the parts.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in thefigures.

l designates generally the main frame of our novel fender and, in thepresent instance, is preferably formed of steel having reinforcingmembers 2 adjacent each end and a lug 3 positioned at substantially themiddle portion of the frame for a purpose later described.

4 designates a pair of bell crank levers utilized as here shown forsupporting the guard 5 and transmitting movement thereof, at certaintimes, to the contractile trip which is designated generally byreference numeral 6. These bell crank levers a are preferably pivoted at7 to a suitable bracket 8 which is fixedly secured to the truck frame 9of the car so that the fender mechanism follows the movement of thetruck and is normally maintained in position over the car tracks. Inorder to properly distribute the weight of the guard 5 with respect toits cooperating adjuncts, the levers at are suit ably spaced apart andrespectively secured to the said guard by means of links 10 which aresuitably joined to adjacent rods 11 of the guard 5, it being understoodthat the said rods form the body or supporting surface of the guard uponwhich an object is supported and maintained out of danger.

Each of the links 10 has a portion thereof formed as a bearing pin 12upon which the apertured end 13 of each lever at is mounted for pivotalmovement, thereby giving the desired swinging action between the parts.The levers 1- preferably pass upwardly from the links 10 and join thebody portion of the said levers at such an angle as to provide a space Mwhich gives sufficient clearance to permit the guard 5 to move on thebearing pins 12 as a pivot.

15 designates a seat formed in each lever 4 by recessing the upper edgethereof to a suitable depth and making a curved lateral cut to form alip 16 which overhangs a portion of the seat 15 in order to receive thetoe 17 of a block 18 so as to allow a rising and falling movement of thesaid block 18 upon the curved face of the lip 16 as a fulcrum. Theseblocks 18, in the presentinstance, are fixedly secured to the frame 1and support the latter upon the pair of bell crank levers 4t. As hereshown the levers at extend in the rear of the frame 1 substantiallyparallel therewith and preferably project a suitable distance above thetop of the said frame in order to be in the path of movementrespectively of a pair of pivoted arms 19, and with which arms the saidlevers are normally maintained in contact through the weight of theguard 5.

The arms 19, in the present instance, are connected at one end to theframe 1 by means of a slot 20 and pin 21 connection in order that therequired movements of the said arm may take place with respect to theframe 1. It will further be noted that each arm 19 has a cam face 22formed thereon which seats against the projecting ends of the levers t.The outer end of each of the arms 19 is pivotally secured by a pin orbolt 23 to a plate 2a which preferably forms a part of a yoke 25 andprojects a suitable distance to one side thereof.

The yokes 25, in the present instance, are each provided with two pairsof ears 26 projecting from opposite sides thereof, one pair beingpivoted at 27 to the main frame 1 and the other pair carrying a pin 28upon which a girder member 29 is mounted for swinging movement towardand away from the frame 1. The girder members 29 are united at a pointintermediate their ends by means of a bolt 30 which forms a pivotpermitting the said members to swing with respect to each other on thesaid pivot, and it will be noted that one portion of each girder memheris of smaller dimension than the corresponding portion of the othermember,- whereby the two members may be folded or swung together intosubstantially the same vertical plane, thereby occupying a minimum ofspace when in such position. It will furthermore be noted that when thegirder members are swung together, as above described, they assume aposition, due to the pivoted yoke construction, which is substantiallyparallel to the frame 1.

31 designates a pair of brace bars, the outer ends of which areconnected respectively to one of the girder members 29, while theopposite ends thereof meet at a common point and are pivotally carriedupon the bolt 32 which is mounted for sliding movement in the slot 33 ofthe lug 3. A suitable washer 3a or equivalent device is employed topermit the proper movement of the said bolt within its slot.

designates a second pair of brace bars preferably connecting therespective girder members 29 with a buffer frame 36, the connection atone end being by means of a belt or pin 37 and at the opposite end witha bolt 38 common to both the bars 35 and mounted for sliding movement inthe slot 39 formed in a portion of the buffer frame 36. This bufferframe 36 is preferably formed of light strong material and is supportedat each end by an arm 10 carried by each girder member 29. In connectionwith these arms 10, it will be noted that they are each pivoted at d1 totheir supporting girder member and at e2 have a pivotal connection withthe trip frame 36, thereby forming a complete unitary compact folding orc'on tractile trip element which normally proj ects beyond the forwardend of the guard 5, but which when engaged by an object moves rearwardlyand assumes a position at the rear of the guard 5 and substantiallyparal lel with the frame 1.

13 designates a side wing pivoted adjacent each end of the frame 36 andnormally extending laterally with respect thereto in order toeffectually cover the track and ground adjacent thereto within thedanger zone of the car. These wings are pivoted to the frame 36 in sucha manner that they will move in a direction opposite to the travel ofthe car and this construction is provided so that accidents may beavoided when the fender is on the rear of the car and not in use. Theimportance of this construction will be appreciated since when a car isrounding a curve these wings will project to one side of the car and maystrike a per son or object in their path of movement. The danger ofinjuring anyone so struck is entirely removed by employing aconstruction which will permit a yielding action of these wings whichallows the object to pass by the end of the trip, after which the wingsautomatically return to normal position in alinement with the tripframe.

In order to carry out the action above described, we preferably providea bushing 44 having a spiral inclined face 45 upon which a similarinclined face 46 of the trip wings 43 is seated. It will be understoodthat these bushings 44 are suitably fixed to the buffer frame 36 andthat the pivot bolts 47 which secure the wings 43 to the frame 36, passthrough the said bushings. The weight of the said wings 43 thereforeauto matically returns the wings to normal position after the abovedescribed movement, while movement in the opposite direction isprevented through the medium of an abutment 48 secured to the bufferframe 36 and in the rear of which one end of each of the wings 43terminates. It will now be apparent that the contractile trip iscomposed of those elements designated by reference numerals 29 to 48inclusive, though we do not of course wish to be limited to the exactnumber shown as it is obvious that an equivalent construction can beproduced with more or less elements. We have, therefore, for the sake ofclearness, designated the trip with the reference numeral 6, asaforesaid to prevent confusion and simplify the description.

The movement of the contractile trip 6 is utilized in a positive mannerto actuate and throw the guard 5 to its operative position, the requiredmovement being effected, in the present instance, by a rod 49 connectedat one end to one of the movable yokes 25 and at the opposite end beingfixed to a pin 50 which is mounted to travel within the slot 51 formedin the frame 1 and in the slot 52 formed in a forked link member 53.This link member 53 is provided with trunnions 54 which supportrespectively a bar 55 secured to the guard 5. It will thus be apparentthat a movement of the yoke 25, due to a shifting of the trip member,will cause the rod 49 to draw the pin 50 along the cam slot 51 thusraising the rear portion of the guard 5 and causing the forward end ofthe same to be lowered to dropped position, this movement being affectedby the cooperation or co-action of the slot 52.

It is preferable in the construction of the guard 5 to form the rearside or rear bar 56 thereof of heavier material than the forward portionof the same so that the action of gravity will not only tend to maintainthe guard 5 in the position shown in Fig. 3, but also through the actionof the bell crank levers 4, will cause the trip 6 to return to andbeheld in its extended position.

In order to adjust the height of the guard 5 and trip 6 from the track,we preferably provide a pair of threaded eye-bolts 57 which are fixed atone end to the main frame 1 and have their outer ends adjustably held bya portion of the bracket 8 through the medium of wing nuts 58 or likeadjusting means. This adjustment determines the position of the trip andguard relative to the ground and may be readily actuated to vary therelation, if so desired.

It is desirable at certain times to raise both guard and trip to asupernormal position so that the entire fender structure will berendered inoperative and permit the car to pass over obstructions on thetrack without causing the fender to move to drop posi tion, and weprovide in the present instance to accomplish this end, a pair ofeccentrics 59, each of which is rotatably mounted in a block 66 of themain frame 1. A red 61 is keyed or otherwise fixed to the eccentrics inorder to cause the eccentrics to rotate as desired, the said rod passingtransversely of the car body and terminating in a handle 62 which isplaced at a convenient point for operation at the side of the car. Inthe present construction, we also have utilized this rod 61 as a supportfor the ends of the eye bolts 57 as the same can serve this purpose justas well as a separate connection for the said bolts.

In the operation of thedevice the parts are accurately adjusted withrespect to the track and the trip and guard assume their normal positionas shown in Fig. 3, the former extended with its contact end in closeproximity to the track and substantially alined with the forward end ofthe car, while the latter is held raised away from the track. In thisposition the connections between the trip and the guard, together withthe weight of the latter, are so accurately adjusted and balanced thatthe slightest force acting against the buffer frame 36 and wings 43, ina direction toward the main frame 1, will cause the trip 6 to moverearwardly and simultaneously swing the guard 5 about the pivotalsupport 12. The movements of the trip and guard are so accurately timedand related that the forward end of the guard 5 reaches the groundwithin an inappreciable inter al after the trip has begun its movement,and it is therefore impossible not only for an object to get beneath thetrip, but also for the said object to in any manner get beneath theguard member, and therefore the possibility of a persons arm or legslipping beneath the guard is entirely obviated. The contractile action,which is substantially that of a lazy-tong structure should beparticularly noticed, since as soon as the trip comes into contact withan object, the pressure of the latter causes the trip to move in theopposite direction from the direction of movement of the moving car andnot only instantly lowers the guard, but continues its movement untilthe object is safely deposited upon the guard and the trip is folded inthe position shown in Fig. 6. As soon as the object is removed from thefender the weight of the guard causesit to swing back to its formerposition and through the connections with the trip, automat-icallyreturns the latter to its forward extended position, thereby insuringthe parts always being in correct location and relieving the motor-manor car operator from giving any attention to the fender.

It will now be apparent that we have devised a novel and usefulconstruction of a car fender which embodies the features of advantageenumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the abovedescription, and while we have in the present instance shown anddescribed a preferred embodiment thereof which has been found inpractice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to beunderstood that the same is susceptible of modification in variousparticulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventionor sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car fen'der, the combination of a guard pivotally mounted toswing from one position to another and a contractile trip operativelyconnected to control the move ment of said guard.

2. In a car fender, the combination of a frame, a guard pivotallymounted thereon, and a contractile trip for moving said guard carried bysaid frame and having a free end projecting beyond said guard, said tripbeing adapted to move under pressure of an object in a direction reverseto that of a moving car carrying said trip.

3. In a car fender, the combination of a frame, a guard pivotallymounted on said frame, means to maintain said guard in raised orinoperative position, a contractile trip carried by said frame andnormally projecting beyond said guard, and means to transmit movement ofsaid trip to said guard whereby the latter is shifted to operativeposition.

i 4. In a car fender, the combination of a frame adapted to beadjustably mounted beneath a car body, a guard carried by said frame andadapted to move from one position to another, and an cxpansible,contractile trip operatively secured to said guard, said trip beingexpanded under the action of gravity and retracted under pressure of anobject in the path thereof.

5. In a car fender, the combination of a frame adapted to be adjustablymounted beneath a car body, a guard carried by said frame and adapted tomove from one position to another, an expansible, contractile tripmovably mounted on said frame, means actuated by a movement of said tripto throw said guard to dropped position, and means actuated by gravityfor returning said guard to normal position and expanding said trip.

6. In a car fender, the combination of a frame adapted to be adjustablysupported beneath a car body, a guard pivotally carried by said frameand adapted to automatically assume the normal position through theaction of gravity, a trip movably connected to said frame, comprising alazytong structure adapted to normally assume an expanded position, andmeans to transmit movement of said trip to said guard to shift thelatter to droppedpcsition.

7. In a car fender, a combination of a frame adapted to be adjustablysupported beneath the car body, a guard pivotally carried by said frameand adapted to automatically assume the normal position through theaction of gravity, a girder member pivotally connected to each end ofsaid frame, means to pivotally connect said girder members intermediatetheir ends, a trip frame pivotally carried by said girder members, andmeans operated during the contracting movement of said trip to shiftsaid guard to dropped position.

8. In a car fender, the combination of a frame, a guard suitably mountedthereon to move from one position to another, and a trip connected tosaid guard to actuate the same and suit-ably mounted to travel from theforward end of a car to a point adjacent the rear of said guard andalways remain in contact with the object causing operation of said trip.

9. In a car fender the combination of a guard pivoted beneath a carbody, a contractile, extendible trip supported adjacent said guard andmeans connecting said guard and trip whereby movement of said trip tocontracted position causes said guard to move to dropped position andthe automatic return of said guard to normal position moves said trip toextended position.

JOHN A. MaoMAI-ION. JOHN T. WARDEN.

Witnesses:

ROBERT M. BARR, C. D. MCVAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

